Interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation and power reduction

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for using interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation and power reduction. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes an interface having a termination mode and a power management controller coupled with the interface. The apparatus may also include a power management controller coupled with the interface. In some embodiments, the power management controller is capable of dynamically reducing the operating frequency of the interface and disabling the termination mode to reduce the power consumed by the interface. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the invention generally relate to the field of integratedcircuits and, more particularly, to systems, methods and apparatuses forinterface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operation andpower reduction.

BACKGROUND

The operating frequencies of integrated circuits such as memory devicesare progressively increasing. To take advantage of these highfrequencies computing systems are designed to transmit signals alongtheir busses and between system components at comparable frequencies.

Some difficulties may be encountered when transmitting and receivingdata between system components (e.g., between integrated circuits) athigh frequencies. Buses behave like transmission lines, where impedancemismatches lead to signal reflection and interference effects.Termination resistance can be used to maintain signal quality overinterconnections by matching impedances to minimize signal reflections.

Some conventional memory systems, such as double data rate (DDR) 2systems use on-die termination to mitigate the signal degradation. Theterm “on-die termination (ODT)” refers to a termination resistance thatis resident on the integrated circuit (e.g., on the controller and/or onthe memory device). The value of ODT may be set when a computing systemis initialized. After initialization, the ODT can be activated ordeactivated with the value that is set during initialization.

In conventional systems, the decision to use a termination mode is basedon the signal integrity requirements for the desired maximum operatingfrequency. The term “termination mode” refers to using termination onone or both sides of an interconnect. When operating in a terminationmode, the termination may be constantly on or it may be dynamicallyturned on and off (e.g., when transmit and/or receive data is sent overthe interconnect). The termination mode is frequently used to supportthe high data rates of conventional systems. The use of the terminationmode incurs a significant price in terms of power consumption. Forexample, a termination mode may support a lower impedance current paththat may result in power consumption both when signals are toggling onthe interconnect and when they are held constant on the interconnect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and notby way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a computingsystem, implemented according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram illustrating selected aspects of acomputing system, implemented according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a powermanagement controller, implemented according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 4 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of amethod for using interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminatedoperation and power reduction, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of a method forusing interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operationand power reduction in a memory system, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of an electronicsystem according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a bock diagram illustrating selected aspects of an electronicsystem according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods,and apparatuses for interface frequency modulation to allownon-terminated operation and power reduction. In some embodiments, anapparatus includes an interface having dynamic on-die termination and apower management controller coupled with the interface. The term “powermanagement controller” is shorthand for any collection of logic thatperforms (at least some of) the functions of the power managementcontroller. The collection of logic that constitutes the powermanagement controller may be substantially located in one region of anintegrated circuit or may be distributed across a number of differentintegrated circuits. In addition, aspects of the power managementcontroller may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the power managementcontroller is capable of dynamically reducing an operating frequency ofthe interface so that it is low enough to allow for non-terminatedoperation. The power management controller may then disable the dynamicon-die termination mode of the interface. Thus, termination power can besaved whenever it is appropriate to operate the interface in a lowerfrequency mode.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a computingsystem, implemented according to an embodiment of the invention. System100 includes integrated circuit 110 and integrated circuit 120 coupledtogether by interconnect 118. Integrated circuits 110 and 120 may benearly any integrated circuits including processors, controllers, memorydevices, and the like. For example, in some embodiments, integratedcircuit 110 is a memory controller hub and integrated circuit 120 is adynamic random access memory device (DRAM). In alternative embodiments,one or both of integrated circuits 110 and 120 may be processors.

Integrated circuit 110 includes core logic 112, interface 114, and powermanagement controller 116. Core logic 112 may be nearly any core logicof an integrated circuit including, for example, a processor core, acontroller, a memory array, and the like. Interface 114 provides aninterface between integrated circuit 110 and interconnect 118.Interconnect 118 may be any of a wide variety of interconnects havinginterfaces that are terminated such as a point-to-point interconnect ora multi-drop interconnect. For example, in some embodiments, memoryinterconnect 118 is a DDR2 bus. In such embodiments, interface 114 maybe a DDR controller. In some embodiments, interface 114 includestermination logic 115 to provide termination for interconnect 118.

Power management controller 116 uses dynamic interface frequencymodulation to manage the power consumed by one or more of the interfacesof integrated circuit 110. In some embodiments, controller 116 detectsan indication of a power reduction condition. The term “power reductioncondition” refers to any of a wide range of conditions that indicatethat the power consumed by an integrated circuit should be reduced.Examples of a power reduction condition include, and are not limited to,an over temperature condition, a bandwidth usage that trips a threshold,and/or placing the integrated circuit in a reduced power mode (e.g., abattery optimized mode).

In some embodiments, controller 116 quiesces the interface if it detectsa power reduction condition. The controller may then dynamically reducethe frequency of the interface until it is low enough that a terminationmode is no longer needed. In some embodiments, the controller disablesthe termination mode associated with the interface when its frequency issufficiently reduced (e.g., termination logic 115 and/or terminationlogic 123). The amount of power consumed by the interface may then bereduced because the interface is no longer terminated. In someembodiments, the controller reactivates the interface once the frequencyhas been reduced and the termination mode has been disabled. Controller116 is further described below with reference to FIGS. 2-5.

For ease of illustration, the power management controller is illustratedas a single functional block. It is to be appreciated, however, that thepower management controller may be any collection of logic that performs(at least some of) the functions of the power management controller. Thecollection of logic that constitutes the power management controller maybe substantially located in one region of an integrated circuit (e.g., aregion of integrated circuit 110), or aspects of it may be distributedin nearly any manner across an integrated circuit, or aspects of it maybe distributed across almost any number of different integratedcircuits. In addition, aspects of the power management controller may beimplemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof.

Integrated circuit 120 includes core logic 124 and interface 122. Corelogic 124 may be nearly any core logic of an integrated circuitincluding, for example, a processor core or a memory array. Interface122 provides an interface between integrated circuit 120 andinterconnect 118. In some embodiments, interface 122 includestermination logic 123 to provide termination for interconnect 118.

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram illustrating selected aspects of acomputing system implemented according to an embodiment of theinvention. Computing system 200 includes controller 202 and two memorychannels 204. Controller 202 may be any type of controller suitable forcontrolling, at least in part, the transfer of information between aprocessor (not shown) and one or more integrated circuits (e.g., memorydevices). Controller 202 includes on-die termination (ODT) logic 206.Controller 202 may also be coupled with power management controller 203.In some embodiments, power management controller 203 is capable ofdynamically modulating the frequency of controller 202 and selectivelydisabling or enabling ODT logic 206 to alter the amount of powerconsumed by controller 202.

Memory channels 204 include memory modules 210 each having, for example,two ranks of memory devices (e.g., one on either side). Memory modules210 may be based on printed circuit boards having fingers along bothsides of one edge to create a dual inline memory module (DIMM) that maybe plugged into a connector on another circuit board that holds othercomponents of the system. Modules 210 are populated with memory devices212. One or more of memory devices 212 may include ODT logic 222. Insome embodiments, power management controller 203 may dynamicallydisable and/or enable ODT logic 222 to control the amount of powerconsumed by system 200. The memory devices may be commodity-type dynamicrandom access memory (DRAM) such as double data rate (DDR) DRAM. In anembodiment, each module 210 includes two ranks (e.g., one on each sideof the module).

In an embodiment, controller 202 is coupled with modules 210 viainterconnect 216. Interconnect 216 may include any number of data lines,address lines, chip select lines and/or other lines. In addition, memorycontroller 202 is coupled with each rank via on-die termination (ODT)lines 220. In an embodiment, ODT lines 220 provide ODT activationsignals for memory devices 212. An ODT activation signal refers to asignal that activates ODT (e.g., dynamically enables ODT logic 222) foran integrated circuit or a group of integrated circuits. In someembodiments, the ODT activation signal activates ODT for an entire rankof memory devices 212. In such embodiments, the ODT pins for the memorydevices within a rank may be daisy-chained together so that the same ODTsignals are routed to the memory devices within the rank.

The number of memory channels, memory modules, and memory devices shownin FIG. 1 are for illustrative purposes. An embodiment of the inventionmay have a different number of memory channels, a different number ofmemory modules, and/or a different number of memory devices. Inaddition, the topology and architecture illustrated in FIG. 1 are forillustrative purposes. An embodiment of the invention may have adifferent topology and/or different architectural features.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of a systemusing a power management controller, according to an embodiment of theinvention. System 300 includes integrated circuit (IC) 310 and IC 320coupled together by interconnect 302. Interconnect 302 may be any of awide range of interconnects including a front side bus and/or a memoryinterconnect. In the illustrated embodiment, IC 310 includes powermanagement controller 330 and interface 340.

Power management controller 330 includes frequency control logic 334 andtermination mode enable/disable logic 336. Frequency control logic 334may be any logic capable of controlling the frequency at which interface340 operates. For example, in some embodiments, frequency control logic334 is control logic for a phase locked loop (PLL) or a delay lockedloop (DLL). In other embodiments, frequency control logic 334 may benearly any clock controller logic suitable for controlling a clockingfrequency.

Termination mode enable/disable logic 336 may be any logic suitable forenabling or disabling the termination mode of an interface. In someembodiments, termination control 342 is a driver that drives termination343 (and/or termination 378). In addition, termination control logic 342may also drive the signals that turn termination resistance logic 378 onand off. Termination mode enable/disable logic 336 may be, for example,any logic suitable for turning a driver on and off.

In some embodiments, the controls for ODT for signals in both directionsis managed by one side of an interface. In alternative embodiments, theODT on each side of an interface is separately controlled. In suchalternative embodiments, the termination mode enable/disable logic maybe capable of enabling/disabling the ODT on the “local” side of theinterconnect and also of communicating with the “remote” side of theinterconnect to enable/disable the ODT on the remote side. Thiscommunication may occur through, for example, a side band channel, aconfiguration channel, and the like.

Power management controller 330 may, optionally, include detect logic332. Detect logic 332 detects an indication that a power reductioncondition is occurring (and/or has occurred and/or will occur). In someembodiments, detect logic 332 is implemented in microcode on IC 310. Inalternative embodiments, detect logic 332 may be implemented in hardwareon IC 310. In yet other alternative embodiments, detect logic 332 isimplemented in software running on a processor (e.g., processor 102)shown in FIG. 1).

Interface 340 provides an interface between IC 310 and interconnect 302.In some embodiments, interface 340 may be part of a memory controller(e.g., a DDR controller). In alternative embodiments, interface 340 maybe part of a processor interface (e.g., processor I/F 112, shown in FIG.1). Interface 340 may operate at a frequency that is determined by clock346. Clock control logic 344 determines the clocking frequency of clock346. In some embodiments, clock control logic 344 dynamically changesthe clocking frequency of clock 346 in response to an indication fromfrequency control logic 334. Input/output (I/O) circuit 348 may includeany number of receivers and/or drivers suitable for communicating overinterconnect 302.

In some embodiments, operating points 338 determine discrete operatingconditions and/or modes. For example, operating points 338 may determineparticular frequencies at which interconnect 302 can operate and mayindicate whether the termination mode is to be used with a particularfrequency. In some embodiments, operating points 338 define a highfrequency mode (HFM) and a low frequency mode (LFM). The HFM may includea relatively high operating frequency (e.g., 800 mega transfers persecond (MT/S)) and may indicate that the termination mode is to be usedwhen operating at that frequency. In contrast, the LFM may include arelatively low operating frequency (433 or 400 MT/S) and may indicatethat the termination mode is not to be used when operating at thatfrequency.

IC 320 includes core logic 360 and interface 370. Core logic 360 may beany core logic of an IC including, for example, an array of memorycells. Interface 370 provides an interface between IC 320 andinterconnect 302 and may include, for example, control logic 372,termination 378, and I/O circuit 374. Control logic 372 may includelogic to enable or disable termination 378. In some embodiments,termination mode enable/disable logic 336 dynamically signals controllogic 372 to enable or disable termination 378. In some embodiments,termination mode enable/disable logic 336 uses side-band communicationto dynamically signal control logic 372. Termination 378 may be any of awide range of on-die termination circuits capable of providing on-dietermination for interconnect 302. I/O circuit 374 may include any numberof receivers, drives, buffers, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a high-level flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of amethod for using interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminatedoperation and power reduction, according to an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to reference number 402, a power managementcontroller detects a power reduction condition. Detecting a powerreduction condition broadly refers to detecting any of a wide-range ofconditions indicating that it may be desirable to reduce the powerconsumed by a system. Examples of detecting a power reduction conditioninclude: detecting an over temperature condition, detecting anindication that bandwidth usage of the interconnect is below athreshold, detecting an indication that the system is in a batteryoptimized mode, and detecting that a high bandwidth agent is coupledwith the interconnect. A high bandwidth agent may be any agent thatconsumes a significant amount of interconnect bandwidth including, forexample, a graphics engine.

Referring to process block 404, the power management controllerdynamically reduces the frequency of the interface so that the interfacecan be operated in a non-terminated mode. In some embodiments, a PLLcontroller may change the clock frequency. In alternative embodiments,different control mechanisms may be used to change clock frequency.

Referring to process block 406, the power management controllerdynamically disables the termination mode associated with the interface.Power can be saved when the termination mode is disabled because, in thenon-terminated mode, very little power is consumed during stable periodswhen signals on the interconnect are not toggling. The termination modeis disabled by turning off a driver that drives the terminationresistance. In some embodiments, disabling the termination mode includesturning off a driver that drives the termination on one or both ends ofan interconnect. In alternative embodiments, disabling the terminationmode may include turning off a driver on both sides of the interconnect.In yet other alternative embodiments, different mechanisms may be usedto dynamically disable the termination mode of the interface.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating selected aspects of a method forusing interface frequency modulation to allow non-terminated operationand power reduction in a memory system, according to an embodiment ofthe invention. Referring to process block 502, a power managementcontroller starts an evaluation to determine whether or not to changethe operating point of one or more interfaces coupled with a memoryinterconnect. The evaluation may occur periodically, and/or in responseto one or more events, and/or in response to an operator's instructions,and/or any combination thereof.

Process blocks 504 through 508 illustrate a number of power reductionconditions that may trigger a change in an operating point, according toan embodiment of the invention. The power management controllerdetermines whether there is an over temperature condition at 504. Thisdetermination may be based, at least in part, on the output provided byone or more thermal sensors. At 506, the power management controllerdetermines whether the bandwidth usage of the interconnect is below athreshold. This determination may be based, at least in part, onbandwidth monitors associated with the interface. The power managementcontroller determines whether the system is in a battery optimized modeat 508. In some embodiments, this determination is based, at least inpart, on whether the controller receives an indication that the systemis in a battery optimized mode. The battery optimized mode may be anyreduced power mode where the system is (at least partly) optimized forreduced power consumption (at the possible cost of reduced performance)such as provided by SpeedStep Technology (or enhanced SpeedStepTechnology). In alternative embodiments, more conditions, fewerconditions, and/or different conditions may be used.

If one or more of the power reduction conditions are present, then thepower management controller determines whether the interface is in a lowfrequency mode (LFM) at 510. The term “LFM” broadly refers to operatingat a frequency that is low enough that it is not necessary to use thetermination mode on the interface. In some embodiments, the powermanagement controller determines whether the interface is in an LFM bydetermining which operating point the interface is using. In alternativeembodiments, other mechanisms may be used to determine whether theinterface is in an LFM. If the interface is already operating in an LFM,then the interface remains non-terminated and in the LFM as shown by520.

If, however, the interface is not in an LFM, then the power managementcontroller places the memory in self-refresh to quiesce the interface asshown by 512. The power management controller decreases the interfacefrequency to one defined to be suitable for an LFM. For example, in someembodiments, the power management controller sets the interface to anoperating point having a lower frequency. The power managementcontroller disables the memory controller's termination mode at 516. Thetermination mode may be disabled by, for example, turning one or moredrivers off.

If none of the power reduction conditions are present, then the powermanagement controller determines whether the interface is in a highfrequency mode (HFM) at 522. The term “HFM” broadly refers to operatingat a frequency that is high enough to indicate that the termination modeshould be used on the interface. In some embodiments, the powermanagement controller determines whether the interface is in an HFM bydetermining which operating point the interface is using. In alternativeembodiments, other mechanisms may be used to determine whether theinterface is in an HFM. If the interface is already operating in an HFM,then the interface remains terminated and in the HFM as shown by 532.

If, however, the interface is not in an HFM, then the power managementcontroller places the memory in self-refresh to quiesce the interface asshown by 524. The power management controller increases the interfacefrequency to one defined to be suitable for an HFM at 526. For example,in some embodiments, the power management controller sets the interfaceto an operating point having a higher frequency. The power managementcontroller enables the memory controller's termination mode at 528. Thetermination mode may be enabled by, for example, turning one or moredrivers on.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating selected aspects of an electronicsystem according to an embodiment of the invention. Electronic system600 includes processor 610, memory controller 620, memory 630,input/output (I/O) controller 640, radio frequency (RF) circuits 650,and antenna 660. In operation, system 600 sends and receives signalsusing antenna 660, and these signals are processed by the variouselements shown in FIG. 6. Antenna 660 may be a directional antenna or anomni-directional antenna. As used herein, the term omni-directionalantenna refers to any antenna having a substantially uniform pattern inat least one plane. For example, in some embodiments, antenna 660 may bean omni-directional antenna such as a dipole antenna or a quarter waveantenna. Also, for example, in some embodiments, antenna 660 may be adirectional antenna such as a parabolic dish antenna, a patch antenna,or a Yagi antenna. In some embodiments, antenna 660 may include multiplephysical antennas.

Radio frequency circuit 650 communicates with antenna 660 and I/Ocontroller 640. In some embodiments, RF circuit 650 includes a physicalinterface (PHY) corresponding to a communication protocol. For example,RF circuit 650 may include modulators, demodulators, mixers, frequencysynthesizers, low noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, and the like. Insome embodiments, RF circuit 650 may include a heterodyne receiver, andin other embodiments, RF circuit 650 may include a direct conversionreceiver. For example, in embodiments with multiple antennas 660, eachantenna may be coupled to a corresponding receiver. In operation, RFcircuit 650 receives communications signals from antenna 660 andprovides analog or digital signals to I/O controller 640. Further, I/Ocontroller 640 may provide signals to RF circuit 650, which operates onthe signals and then transmits them to antenna 660.

Processor(s) 610 may be any type of processing device. For example,processor 610 may be a microprocessor, a microcontroller, or the like.Further, processor 610 may include any number of processing cores or mayinclude any number of separate processors.

Memory controller 620 provides a communication path between processor610 and other elements shown in FIG. 6. In some embodiments, memorycontroller 620 is part of a hub device that provides other functions aswell. As shown in FIG. 6, memory controller 620 is coupled to powermanagement controller 622, processor(s) 610, I/O controller 640, andmemory 630. In some embodiments, power management controller 622dynamically modulates the interface frequency of memory controller 620so that its termination mode can be selectively enabled or disabled.

Memory 630 may include multiple memory devices. These memory devices maybe based on any type of memory technology using termination on itsinterfaces. For example, memory 630 may be random access memory (RAM),dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM),nonvolatile memory such as FLASH memory, or nay other type of memory.

Memory 630 may represent a single memory device or a number of memorydevices on one or more modules. Memory controller 620 provides datathrough interconnect 622 to memory 630 and receives data from memory 630in response to read requests. Commands and/or addresses may be providedto memory 630 through interconnect 622 or through a differentinterconnect (not shown). Memory controller 620 may receive data to bestored in memory 630 from processor 610 or from another source. Memorycontroller 620 may provide the data it receives from memory 630 toprocessor 610 or to another destination. Interconnect 622 may be abi-directional interconnect or a unidirectional interconnect.Interconnect 622 may include a number of parallel conductors. Thesignals may be differential or single ended. In some embodiments,interconnect 622 operates using a forwarded, multiphase clock scheme.

Memory controller 620 is also coupled to I/O controller 640 and providesa communications path between processor(s) 610 and I/O controller 640.I/O controller 640 includes circuitry for communicating with I/Ocircuits such as serial ports, parallel ports, universal serial bus(USB) ports and the like. As shown in FIG. 6, I/O controller 640provides a communication path to RF circuits 650.

FIG. 7 is a bock diagram illustrating selected aspects of an electronicsystem according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.Electronic system 700 includes memory 630, I/O controller 640, RFcircuits 650, and antenna 660, all of which are described above withreference to FIG. 6. Electronic system 700 also includes processor(s)710, memory controller 720, and power management controller 722. Asshown in FIG. 7, memory controller 720 and power management controller722 may be on the same die as processor(s) 710. Processor(s) 710 may beany type of processor as described above with reference to processor 610(FIG. 5). In some embodiments, power management controller 722dynamically modulates the interface frequency of memory controller 720so that its termination mode can be selectively enabled or disabled.Example systems represented by FIGS. 6 and 7 include desktop computers,laptop computers, servers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants,digital home systems, and the like.

Elements of embodiments of the present invention may also be provided asa machine-readable medium for storing the machine-executableinstructions. The machine-readable medium may include, but is notlimited to, flash memory, optical disks, compact disks-read only memory(CD-ROM), digital versatile/video disks (DVD) ROM, random access memory(RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic or opticalcards, propagation media or other type of machine-readable mediasuitable for storing electronic instructions. For example, embodimentsof the invention may be downloaded as a computer program which may betransferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requestingcomputer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals embodied in a carrierwave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modemor network connection).

It should be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to“one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present invention.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the invention.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the invention, various features are sometimes groupedtogether in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding ofone or more of the various inventive aspects. This method of disclosure,however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recitedin each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventiveaspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosedembodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description arehereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description.

1. An apparatus comprising: an interface to exchange information over aninterconnect, the interface including a termination mode to provide atermination resistance for a signal received from the interconnect,wherein the termination mode is capable of being dynamically enabled anddisabled; and a power management controller coupled with the interface,wherein the power management controller is capable of dynamicallyreducing an operating frequency of the interface and disabling thetermination mode to reduce power consumed by the interface.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface and the power managementcontroller are located on the same integrated circuit.
 3. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the power management controller comprises frequencycontrol logic to dynamically control the operating frequency of theinterface.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power managementcontroller comprises termination control logic to dynamically disable orenable the termination mode.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein thepower management controller comprises detection logic to detect a powerreduction condition.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the logic todetect the power reduction condition comprises logic to detect an overtemperature condition.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the logic todetect the power reduction condition comprises logic to detect anindication that bandwidth usage of the interconnect is below athreshold.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the logic to detect thepower reduction condition comprises logic to detect an indication thatthe apparatus is in a battery optimized mode.
 9. The apparatus of claim5, wherein the logic to detect the power reduction condition compriseslogic to detect that a high bandwidth agent is coupled with theinterconnect.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the high bandwidthagent is a graphics engine.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theinterconnect comprises a memory interconnect.
 12. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the interconnect comprises a processor interconnect.
 13. Amethod comprising: detecting a power reduction condition; dynamicallyreducing a frequency of an interface coupled with an interconnectresponsive, at least in part, to detecting the power reductioncondition; and dynamically disabling a termination mode associated withthe interface.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein detecting a powerreduction condition comprises at least one of: detecting an overtemperature condition; detecting an indication that bandwidth usage ofthe interconnect is below a threshold; detecting an indication that theinterface is in a battery optimized mode; and detecting that a highbandwidth agent is coupled with the interconnect.
 15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein transitioning the interface to the low frequency modecomprises: quiescing the interface; and instructing a clock circuit tooperate at a lower frequency.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein theinterface is an interface to a memory interconnect.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein quiescing the interface comprises: placing a memorydevice in self-refresh.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein theinterconnect is a processor interconnect.
 19. A system comprising: amemory device; and an integrated circuit coupled with the memory device,wherein integrated circuit includes an interface to exchange informationwith the memory device, the interface including a dynamic on-dietermination mode, and a power management controller coupled with theinterface, wherein the power management controller is capable ofdynamically reducing an operating frequency of the interface anddisabling the on-die termination mode of the interface to reduce powerconsumed by the interface.
 20. The system of claim 19, wherein thememory device includes an on-die termination and further wherein thepower management controller is capable of disabling the on-dietermination mode of the memory device.
 21. The system of claim 19,wherein the power management controller comprises frequency controllogic to dynamically control the operating frequency of the interface.22. The system of claim 19, wherein the power management controllercomprises termination control logic to dynamically disable or enable thetermination mode.
 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the powermanagement controller comprises detection logic to detect a powerreduction condition.
 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the logic todetect the power reduction condition comprises logic to detect at leastone of: an over temperature condition; an indication that bandwidthusage of the interconnect is below a threshold; and an indication thatthe apparatus is in a battery optimized mode.
 25. The system of claim23, wherein the logic to detect the power reduction condition compriseslogic to detect that a high bandwidth agent is coupled with theinterconnect.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the high bandwidthagent is a graphics engine.